News 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences at Animal Kingdom

[Eric M Blake]

I've half joked they could make the Indy ride INDIANA JONES & THE LAND OF THE DINOSAURS....

As in, Indy's search for an Amazonian artifact ends up with him realizing he's in Pellucidar, perhaps....

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

You better hope D+ and the Studios turn around quickly and start making money than. Otherwise it will be more of the same. It's quite obvious they don't have the money to do large investments.

Then they should put on movies and shows that people enjoyed..I for one want them to remove that Nat Geo, ESPN or ABC News documentary crap..

 

[Dinoman96]

I think Avatar is Beastly Kingdom. It's a land based on fictional beasts from what's essentially a modern day myth.

I'm sure whatever '90s Imagineering wanted to do for Beastly Kingdom would've been awesome (Hell, it seems like it just ended up in IOA anyway). But I feel Pandora fits Animal Kingdom better anyway; the lush environments fit better with Africa & Asia than medieval Europe.

Meh. I guess, but I think I'll let Roller Coaster Philosophy say it for me:

Alas, after more than a decade of service Camp Minnie-Mickey is not long for this world, soon to be replaced by the recently announced Avatar Land. While it’s nice that this land is finally being used to fulfill its potential, I do have to question if it’s a better fit for Animal Kingdom than the Beastly Kingdom would have been. Yes, thematically Avatar and Animal Kingdom share many of the same messages and I suppose Avatar is better here than at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But it doesn’t feel like an ideal subject for Animal Kingdom’s long-missing third act that explores the kingdom of fantasy creatures. The concept of Beastly Kingdom was much more democratic, rooted in popular mythologies that have been shared by many peoples across history. Avatar, on the other hand, is a story world created by one man with a rather didactic message intended specifically for modern western audiences. As I’m sure we’ll be reminded by the many © and ® symbols scattered throughout this new land, Avatar distinctly “belongs” to a corporation instead of the popular imagination, and I’m not sure if that’s a right fit to complete the story arc for a park that otherwise is about communally sharing of worlds both natural and cultural.

The funny thing is in that regard, I'd say Expedition Everest worked more as a successor to the concept of Beastly Kingdom, even if it's not a dedicated land.

In fact a while back over on Inside Universal here, I saw some insiders talk about how there were actual several pitches made to get Beastly Kingdom off the ground in the mid to late 2000s, then it sorta evolved into the idea of spreading mythical creatures into their respective countries, which is where we got Everest over in Asia. I guess that probably could explain why they kept the BK references in AK over the years...but then everything changed when the IP Nation attacked.

It's a shame, because in a post EE world I always dug the idea of doing a Europe themed area with a big dragon roller coaster in the background as a way to revitalize the old BK concept. But you know...IP.

edit: looking at it again, apparently BK was pitched even after EE was made, huh...

 

[MadderAdder]

Then they should put on movies and shows that people enjoyed..I for one want them to remove that Nat Geo, ESPN or ABC News documentary crap..

Nat Geo could do a lot more / be in DAK more.

 

[SpectreJordan]

Meh. I guess, but I think I'll let Roller Coaster Philosophy say it for me:


The funny thing is in that regard, I'd say Expedition Everest worked more as a successor to the concept of Beastly Kingdom, even if it's not a dedicated land.

In fact a while back over on Inside Universal here, I saw some insiders talk about how there were actual several pitches made to get Beastly Kingdom off the ground in the mid to late 2000s, then it sorta evolved into the idea of spreading mythical creatures into their respective countries, which is where we got Everest over in Asia. I guess that probably could explain why they kept the BK references in AK over the years...but then everything changed when the IP Nation attacked.

It's a shame, because in a post EE world I always dug the idea of doing a Europe themed area with a big dragon roller coaster in the background as a way to revitalize the old BK concept. But you know...IP.

edit: looking at it again, apparently BK was pitched even after EE was made, huh...

I think China would be a more natural fit aesthetically for a Beastly Kingdom IMO. You'd lose out on Unicorns, but you'd still have dragons & you can introduce Eastern mythical animals to the west.

But that's sad it was being pitched that recently & still being denied.

 

[celluloid]

I like the idea of the Everest approach better. The Mythological beasts spread out as lore to the lands themselves it lends to, rather than a land of just mythology.

I think it makes for a nice balance and spread.

 

[cookiee_munster]

I don't hate this...

I was actually pretty on board for the Moana/Oceana replacement of the DinoRama area, I just hated the idea of Zootopia mini land replacing Dinosaur. This is a nice compromise, even though they still managed to shoehorn *Zootopia elsewhere in the park...
*For the record, I actually like Zootopia and the Shanghai attraction looks amazing. As a franchise it just doesn't belong in Animal Kingdom

EDIT - Also, i'm intrigued now as to whether Indy at the studio's will be going after the attraction opens in Animal Kingdom?

 

[Suspirian]

I don't hate this...

I was actually pretty on board for the Moana/Oceana replacement of the DinoRama area, I just hated the idea of Zootopia mini land replacing Dinosaur. This is a nice compromise, even though they still managed to shoehorn *Zootopia elsewhere in the park...
*For the record, I actually like Zootopia and the Shanghai attraction looks amazing. As a franchise it just doesn't belong in Animal Kingdom

EDIT - Also, i'm intrigued now as to whether Indy at the studio's will be going after the attraction opens in Animal Kingdom?

My hot take is that Moana fits DAK better than both of the IPs that are currently on the table.

 

[NotCalledBob]

My hot take is that Moana fits DAK better than both of the IPs that are currently on the table.

I'd put Moana in ITTBAB instead of Zootopia any day of the week. And I liked the Moana log flume idea.

But, I also prefer Encanto as part of a wider land in DAK, than as it's own standalone land in MK.

They are going to shove in IPs and I guess we just have to be happy to have them put in where they will cause least harm to the parks.

I don't dislike Zootopia, but it shouldn't go anywhere near DAK.

 

[Dan Deesnee]

Encanto coming to AK is a win. It sounds like it will be, hopefully, animals first with a big focus on central American animals. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Mike S]

I'd put Moana in ITTBAB instead of Zootopia any day of the week. And I liked the Moana log flume idea.

But, I also prefer Encanto as part of a wider land in DAK, than as it's own standalone land in MK.

They are going to shove in IPs and I guess we just have to be happy to have them put in where they will cause least harm to the parks.

I don't dislike Zootopia, but it shouldn't go anywhere near DAK.

If Moana went anywhere in DAK a new show replacing Nemo wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

 

[doctornick]

Nat Geo could do a lot more / be in DAK more.

Or Disneynature for that matter

 

[MadderAdder]

My hot take is that Moana fits DAK better than both of the IPs that are currently on the table.

I agree tbh

 

[Eric M Blake]

So regarding the question of Indiana Jones fitting in AK...

Again, it's be interesting if Indy's ride actually uses the dino audio-anolamatronics. Granted, Indy's an archeologists adventurer, but the idea would be the search for a powerful artifact LEADS him into a remote part of South America which turns out to be a Pellucidar-esque "dinoland."

Bit of the old, bit of the new.

 

[James Alucobond]

My hot take is that Moana fits DAK better than both of the IPs that are currently on the table.

If done correctly, sure. It fits as well as anything proposed. The problem is that they weren’t proposing an Oceania-based land at all; we were just attempting to will that into existence by mentally merging it with Nemo. The fact that they are picking a region first and attractions second makes this overall idea better even if you preferred the notion of a Moana attraction, which is perfectly fair.

 

[Brer Panther]

I'm really glad they're not doing the Moana/Zootopia Dinoland replacement. I don't like the idea of removing dinosaurs from the park entirely (did Disney look at everyone complaining about Dino-Rama and come to the conclusion that people don't like dinosaurs anymore?), but I do like the idea of Animal Kingdom getting a South America land... just not at the expense of Dinoland.

I have the following conditions...

1) Have the Indiana Jones ride focus on Indy encountering dinosaurs, allowing you to retain as many of the dinosaur animatronics from Dinosaur as possible (as others have suggested, especially since the Carnotaurus apparently lived in Argentina).

2) Keep the focus of the land on animals and the natural world. I don't want Encanto and Indiana Jones Land, neither IP really fits in Animal Kingdom at all what with them not being about animals (yes, I know Antonio exists, but Disney's likely to have the Encanto attraction focus on Mirabel over him since she's the lead character). I think Up and Rio would be more fitting IPs to have here than either of them.

3) Don't make the Encanto attraction another trackless dark ride. The novelty of those has worn off. I want to go back to busbar dark rides that don't just spin around in enormous spread-out rooms or park the riders in front of a screen.

Is it too much to hope that Disney reconsiders the idea? Maybe do a Dinoland refresh that actually involves DINOSAURS and other prehistoric animals? Disney owns Ice Age now, that Buck movie on Disney Plus shows that they're still willing to milk the franchise...

Realistically, do you think that current Disney could do that level of retheming to Dinosaur in under a year and a half?

Considering how long it took them to build Runaway Railway, Tron, and Guardians of the Galaxy? I don't know.

Dial bombed because of various circumstances that are Disney's own fault.

There's still potential in the series if Disney & Lucasfilm learn from their lessons. They clearly need new leadership before they try again though.

This IS the same company that assumed The Princess and the Frog underperformed because it was hand-drawn and stopped doing theatrical Muppet movies because Muppets Most Wanted flopped. Fifty-percent chance they don't learn from their mistakes and just assume that people don't care about Indiana Jones anymore.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I'm really glad they're not doing the Moana/Zootopia Dinoland replacement. I don't like the idea of removing dinosaurs from the park entirely (did Disney look at everyone complaining about Dino-Rama and come to the conclusion that people don't like dinosaurs anymore?), but I do like the idea of Animal Kingdom getting a South America land... just not at the expense of Dinoland.

I have the following conditions...

1) Have the Indiana Jones ride focus on Indy encountering dinosaurs, allowing you to retain as many of the dinosaur animatronics from Dinosaur as possible (as others have suggested, especially since the Carnotaurus apparently lived in Argentina).

2) Keep the focus of the land on animals and the natural world. I don't want Encanto and Indiana Jones Land, neither IP really fits in Animal Kingdom at all what with them not being about animals (yes, I know Antonio exists, but Disney's likely to have the Encanto attraction focus on Mirabel over him since she's the lead character). I think Up and Rio would be more fitting IPs to have here than either of them.

3) Don't make the Encanto attraction another trackless dark ride. The novelty of those has worn off. I want to go back to busbar dark rides that don't just spin around in enormous spread-out rooms or park the riders in front of a screen.

Is it too much to hope that Disney reconsiders the idea? Maybe do a Dinoland refresh that actually involves DINOSAURS and other prehistoric animals? Disney owns Ice Age now, that Buck movie on Disney Plus shows that they're still willing to milk the franchise...


Considering how long it took them to build Runaway Railway, Tron, and Guardians of the Galaxy? I don't know.

This IS the same company that assumed The Princess and the Frog underperformed because it was hand-drawn and stopped doing theatrical Muppet movies because Muppets Most Wanted flopped. Fifty-percent chance they don't learn from their mistakes and just assume that people don't care about Indiana Jones anymore.

Corporate even allowing this Indy ride idea to exist is hopefully a good sign that they won't bury the series.

 

[J4546]

is the encanto attraction gonna be a mystic manor like omnimover?

 

[Eric M Blake]

is the encanto attraction gonna be a mystic manor like omnimover?

That's the rumor.

 

[FigmentFan82]

That's the rumor.

Not a rumor, just speculation from many on here that Mystic Manor could be a good fit for an Encanto ride. It definitely makes sense, but nothing has been confirmed in any way shape or form.